House of JoveThroneguard Alkoli Rockwell the Great of Jove, Defender of the EmpireHomeworld: Solarii, Seraph Charity System

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The House Jove has kept the Concordat's legion enemies within the Black Veil at bay for well over three centuries. Jove's dominance over the empire has been so absolute - even the house colors crimson and gold mimic the empire's own - that the common layman remembers little of the Empire in Antiquity that supposedly spanned the stars. Jove specializes in communication and administration. While Corvian society has access to superluminal travel, superluminal communication is in short supply without entangled particle pairs. Jovian couriers are therefore the cheapest and most efficient means of information dissemination in the empire. The largest armies in the empire also fall under the jurisdiction of House Jove.

House of HermeaChairman Dante Lynwood Hermea the ShrewdHomeworld: Augusti Prime, Arkthamis System

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House Hermea represents the traders, merchants, fabricators, miners, and shiplayers of the empire in a sort of trade union. They are the least feudal of the houses, holding a regular Council Hermea with power of recommendation to the family heads of the house. Hermea builds the empire's new ships and pays its taxes, giving it significant sway over the otherwise monarchical power of the Jovian throne. The merchants and traders of the house, ever eager for new markets, are the biggest players in the recent push for colonization and frontier expansion towards the Black Veil.

House of SeridAdministrator Natalya Serid-Wescott the SecondHomeworld: Deos Phidia, Phidia System

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House Serid, camera-shy and apt to work out of the public eye, is fodder for all kinds of conspiracy theories. Whether or not the rumors are true, however, Serid is responsible for the research and development of the Corvian civilization. From the colossal research 'farms' and universities on Deos Phidia (literally, 'God is knowledge'), Serid continually conducts its research. Industrial and civilian clients are no stranger to the world, many of which pay quite handsomely for space and researchers in the most remote reaches of Deos Phidia's mountain ranges where they can work away from the prying eyes of the Throne and industrial competitors.

Brigands

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The Brigands are any individual or group which the Throneguard of Jove has labelled an enemy to the security or prosperity of the empire. A myriad number of smugglers, criminals, pirates, and terrorists fall under the group Brigands. While they rarely work together, the Brigands' only common goal is to profit from the ruin of the empire and its inhabitants. Any individual marked Brigand is not given a single thought to capture or trial - rather, execution by shipside battery is the most common form of interaction. The Throneguard has been accused, and will likely always be accused, of marking political rivals as Brigands. Houses who have had a member marked as Brigand usually conduct an internal investigation to determine if the individual is worth defending before the Throne or not.

Homo sapiens, as it is commonly called, is a bipedal species recognizable to many as humanity.

Homo sapiens magnus

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Homo magnus, known as Giants or Nereax for their discovery in the star system 1507 Nereax, are humans who may have been genetically altered during the Empire in Antiquity and raised on a low-gravity world. Nereax have poor color vision and are susceptible to a wide range of skin cancers as they have lived underground for generations. Their tremendous height and musculature, three to four meters, gives them an innate advantage in combat - but only on worlds lower than 1/3rd standard gravity.

Homo sapiens sophos

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Homo sapiens sophos is an offshoot of humanity speciated by Genemod Series 1, created by altering the genes ABCC9 to decrease sleep requirements by two to three hours and increasing cognition and GABAA2 to lower body temperature and invoke a hibernation response to starvation. Sophos have mixed success. Some are ideal for spaceflight with all of the intended modifications successful, while others report chronic sleep deprivation, skull fusion interruption in childhood, starvation response malfunctions and night terrors.

Corvians observe a neofeudal culture, where power and land are distributed down from the top of the society (Throneguard and Archdukes) to the bottom (Knights-Errant and Yeomen, below them various serfs). Individualism has all but died in this culture, and the emphasis on glory for one's house or one's profession has taken root as the greatest of endeavors. It is best summed in the words of the current Throneguard, Alkoli Rockwell:

"The Concordat is founded on the cut and thrust of the human crusade for glory. We are born, we live, and we die - and if we leave nothing behind, we remain dead. To make a monument of other races' mass graves, to build and achieve, to make mankind the largest, most abhorrent scar upon the face of the universe if indeed we must die - this is the Concordat's goal."

History

Corvian history begins in ancient times with human history. The rise of man, the hedonism, the fall from grace, the loss of homeworld - these are all tales well known to the Corvian. They remain convinced that the Empire in Antiquity's borders lie somewhere beyond the Black Veil of chaos and foe that is the Concordat's border. They remain equally convinced that it is their birthright to reclaim it for man.

Technology

Tech LevelBiology 2Chemistry 3Data 4Fields 3Kinetics 4Particles 3

Monoardor IntelligencesData 4

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Artificial piloting intelligences with full sentience, monoardors feel one emotion at a time, but in totality - switching between utter protective instinct for their ships and raging bloodlust at its targets at the flip of the weapons officer's switch. The full set of emotions a monoardor can experience are Interest, Alarm, Attraction, Aversion, Surprise, Apathy, Gratitude, Anger, Joy, Sorrow, Generosity, Avarice, Sympathy, and Cruelty. A military or civilian vessel may limit a monoardor's range - while the military monoardor may exclude Gratitude and Sympathy, the merchantman may wish to exclude Generosity and Alarm.

Phased Array Laser CannonsParticles 2

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Ship-borne solid state lasers routed through optical-graphene. Multiple lasing modules can contribute to a graphene redirector, leading to a combined output without the need for larger, more bulky systems. Common tactical doctrine calls for large banks of lasers placed in well armored sections of the ships, with the photon-stream being redirected to turrets as needed. Whilst an effective method, this runs the risk of overheating and melting the redirection crystals and permanently crippling the offensive laser weaponry.

Hydrokinetic PilesChemistry 2

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Adopted from the knightly activity of jousting in the Empire in Antiquity, hydrokinetic piles are massive sharpened tungsten rods attached to powerful hydraulic pistons inside an elevated combat suit, or "mech." When the mech engages in close quarters combat, the pile is aimed at the target (usually another mech or armored target) and the piston is activated. The pile thrusts forward at tremendous speed, piercing armor and impaling the target crew. In cases where deflective armor is used to prevent penetration, shaped charges can be affixed to the pile to facilitate armor piercing before the thrust makes contact.

Fusion Lance ShellsFields 2

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A specialized missile warhead with a standard four-stage fission-fusion-fission-fusion reaction sequence. The missile is enclosed in a depleted uranium/composite shell, which serves to focus the blast forwards into the beryllium-oxide channel filler. The energy of the reaction (mostly in the form of x-rays and other short wavelength photons) is converted to heat in the channel filler, creating a cone shaped area leading outward. Capping the channel filler is a low atomic mass material, usually copper. This results in the blast being focused forwards into a narrow cone, improving the energy output on a specific point by a massive seventy-five percent.

Uni-Alloy 775Chemistry 3

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Specialized alloy fabricated in large orbital yards under no gravitic conditions results in a superior metal lattice arrangement. Able to absorb and distribute heat efficiently, withstand strain in excess of 8550 MegaPascals. Typically contains 60.5% Iron, 29% Iridum, 7.4% Aluminium and 3.1% Chromium. The unique chemical arrangement necessitates the use of specialized casting methods in exo-atmospheric conditions. Often used as a linking material for space-elevator tubes.

Superignited Hydrogen PulsegunParticles 3

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Splinters of supercooled hydrogen held in magnetic alignment, placed in a cell surrounded by a network of lasers, graphene superconductors and low temperature magnets. The initial phase of the reaction begins with the initial firing of the lasers to heat and compress the frozen hydrogen/helium mixture. The next phase of operation is for the superconductors to dump their charge into the magnets. This compresses and accelerates the pin-point of plasma into the waiting carbon-nanoweave net, wrapping the ball in a containment medium. At this point, secondary magnets lining the barrel of the weapon activate, initiating the linear acceleration phase of the weapon.

Sensor Distortion ModuleParticles 3

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Firing clouds of highly charged ions in the space surrounding the attached ship results in the scattering of oncoming radio waves. This effect distorts the sensor resolution reported back to ships, in some cases making them seem invisible altogether. Radar is the most adversely affected sensor type, with others following closely.

AM Catalysed Tri-State Fusion ReactorFields 3

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Fusion reaction kickstarted through the use of anti-matter results in reactors that are highly underweight and can be easily expanded. Coupled with the use of RF-Synchrotrons to keep the plasma heated, the reactors can be downscaled for most commercial applications. A further feature of the exquisitely controlled magnetic fields is to induce three way reactions in the plasma compared to the standard fusing of two atoms as is done in older models of reactors. Energy is harvested from these reactors via magnetohydrodynamic generators, whereby ionised hydrogen is passed through a magnetic field to create a current in side plates. The hydrogen can then be used for extra propulsion or cycled into a back-reaction within the fusion reactor.

ElevatorumChemistry 3

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With the practical application of high-strength materials came the construction of Elevatorums; large space lifts. Tethered to an asteroid captured in orbit, these lifts can move truly gargantuan amounts of cargo to and from orbit.

Akita Superluminal Medium GeneratorFields 3

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Rather than taking the obvious method of travelling large distances through the application of space-warping technologies, a different approach was developed. Through the use of large graphene based supercapacitors, a gargantuan charge is delivered to the ice-slip generator. This 'generator' boosts everything in its surroundings to a high energy dimension (the Akita superluminal medium) along with the attached ship. Due to the non-euclidian mechanics of this space, distances moved are often multiplied by many millions of miles back in realspace. Exit is a simple procedure of allowing the generator to absorb the residual charge, dropping the ship back to its natural energy level. The Akita medium is not without perils, however. There are places where real space overlaps the medium, making it hazourdous to navigate.

The Dragoons are the "people's army" of sorts, a militia put together by the Yeomen and the non-landholding serfs under the direct jurisdiction of the Throne. While the Cavaliers best exemplify the neofeudal system with their changing loyalties and codes of honor, the Dragoons are usually landless serfs or Yeomen with small plots seeking to defend their homes and families. This gives them a zeal that more than makes up for their inferior military technology.

Formerly the proudest work of House Gregoris, recent political dealings have found the Cavaliers homeless. They possess the best technology available to the Corvian civilization, specializing in heavy armor, both legs and treads. The vast majority of Knights-Errant in training move through one Cavalier Division or another to gain the respect of their peers and attention of the Throne to become knighted. Knights, meanwhile, look to the Cavaliers to provide them glory in battle and a shot at upward political advancement. Cavaliers are guns-for-hire in a rigid feudal society, and so while purely mercenary in theory they are usually tied to one house or another in practice.

The 108th Special Tactics Division is technically tied to the Dragoons, but is recruited and paid for separately through the Throne. Many outside observers suspect that, given the large amount of scientific equipment seen en route to the 108th's well-guarded forward bases on the edges of the Black Veil, SPECTAC is meant to serve as a diplomatic and scientific first contact envoy, and being given military funding to avoid the usual politics of the Concordat.

Last edited by Sentor on Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:49 pm; edited 44 times in total (Reason for editing : Working on faction descriptions.)